Half of small businesses that want an online shop don’t have one

Most common barrier is technical knowledge
Amenworld.com makes it simple to sell online with new Amen eShops

New research from Amenworld.com – the company that makes it simple for businesses to get started on the ‘net – shows that almost half (49 per cent) of the companies that want an online shop don’t have one.

Businesses believe that they face barriers to setting up shop on the web and tapping into the £30 billion e-commerce market.

The most commonly perceived barrier is a lack of technical knowledge to setting up an online shop, followed by finding the right product, the time associated with establishing and maintaining an online store and the added costs to the business’s online spend. Only 11 per cent of businesses saw no obstacles in the way of setting up an online shop.

But the perceived barriers for businesses that want an Internet shop are being torn down by Amenworld.com with the launch of Amen e-Shops. A free thirty-day trial is available to any business that wants to sell online.

Andrew Fassnidge, Amenworld’s UK Marketing Manager said, “The Internet is the only place where small businesses can compete with global organisations. The value of Internet sales is set to double in the next five years, but too many businesses are put off selling online by the perceived complexity and expense of online shops. Our free thirty-day trial gives customers a chance to use Amen e-Shops before making any decisions. This allows them to find out for themselves how easy it can be for businesses to sell over the Internet. We use the latest technology to provide our customers with user-friendly yet professional online shops. Amen e-Shops are scalable to different businesses’ needs, so the owners only pay for what they use.”

He continued, “Amen e-Shops have a distinct advantage over a bricks and mortar shop; they never close – they’re open for business twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Moreover, setting up an e-Shop instantly opens companies up to an international market, so overseas trading becomes a reality for small businesses.”

Although the system is designed with technophobes in mind – even someone with no programming experience can design their own professional online store – this does not limit the options when deciding how to present the storefront. All the hard work of web hosting, site design, payments and security is taken care of, leaving the seller free to display and promote their product in the most imaginative way possible.

Users of Amen e-Shops benefit from the exposure they receive when their products are advertised on big shopping sites like eBay, Kelkoo and shopping.com. They can also use the available tools to market their products with the help of newsletters, promotions, products catalogues and more, which are sure to raise the businesses’ profile, driving traffic to their online store. For those who don’t know what an online store should look like, Amen e-Shops offers numerous models on which customers can base their new shop.

This simple, affordable and reliable system enables the smallest operation to build a site that truly reflects their business, with individual domain names, secure payment systems and all the features of a big multinational company’s website. Amen e-Shops can be individually tailored to each business’s needs, making online stores a genuinely affordable option for smaller businesses.

Amenworld.com offers three versions of e-Shops to suit the budget and needs of different businesses – e-Shop Starter, e-Shop Pro and e-Shop Premium.

A free thirty-day trial which allows users to test Premium e-Shops is available at www.amenworld.com

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Notes to editors
Amenworld approached 384 companies and asked them if they had or needed an online shop; what were the barriers facing small businesses in setting up shop online and whether they would take up the offer of a free demonstration.

For further editorial information or to arrange an interview please contact amenworld@pwkpr.com or telephone 020 7609 1900.

About Amenworld.com
Amenworld.com makes it simple for businesses to get started on the ‘net.

Amenworld’s experience and range of easy to understand packages provide the perfect platform to launch businesses on the web.

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